Asynchronous carrier aggregation slot alignment

ABSTRACT

Various aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication. In some aspects, a user equipment (UE) may receive information identifying an offset between a start of a frame on a first component carrier and a start of a frame on a second component carrier, wherein the first component carrier is one of a primary cell (PCell) or a secondary cell (SCell), and wherein the second component carrier is the other of the PCell or the SCell; determine that a slot on the first component carrier is aligned with a slot on the second component carrier; identify the slot on the second component carrier in accordance with the offset; and communicate on the first component carrier or the second component carrier based at least in part on the start of the slot on the second component carrier. Numerous other aspects are provided.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This Patent Application claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/923,334, filed on Oct. 18, 2019, and to U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/927,006, filed on Oct. 28, 2019,both entitled “ASYNCHRONOUS CARRIER AGGREGATION SLOT ALIGNMENT,” andboth assigned to the assignee hereof. The disclosure of the priorApplication is considered part of and is incorporated by reference intothis Patent Application.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wirelesscommunication and to techniques and apparatuses for asynchronous carrieraggregation (CA) slot alignment.

BACKGROUND

Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide varioustelecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging,and broadcasts. Typical wireless communication systems may employmultiple-access technologies capable of supporting communication withmultiple users by sharing available system resources (for example,bandwidth, or transmit power among other examples, or a combinationthereof). Examples of such multiple-access technologies include codedivision multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access(TDMA) systems, frequency-division multiple access (FDMA) systems,orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) systems,single-carrier frequency-division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems,time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA)systems, and Long Term Evolution (LTE). LTE/LTE-Advanced is a set ofenhancements to the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS)mobile standard promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project(3GPP).

The above multiple access technologies have been adopted in varioustelecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enablesdifferent user equipments (UEs) to communicate on a municipal, national,regional, and even global level. New Radio (NR), which may also bereferred to as 5G, is a set of enhancements to the LTE mobile standardpromulgated by the 3GPP. NR is designed to better support mobilebroadband Internet access by improving spectral efficiency, loweringcosts, improving services, making use of new spectrum, and betterintegrating with other open standards using orthogonal frequencydivision multiplexing (OFDM) with a cyclic prefix (CP) (CP-OFDM) on thedownlink (DL), using CP-OFDM or SC-FDMA (for example, also known asdiscrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM)) on the uplink (UL),as well as supporting beamforming, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO)antenna technology, and carrier aggregation. However, as the demand formobile broadband access continues to increase, there exists a need forfurther improvements in LTE and NR technologies. Preferably, theseimprovements are applicable to other multiple access technologies andthe telecommunication standards that employ these technologies.

Carrier aggregation is a technique used in wireless communication toincrease the data rate per user, whereby multiple frequency blocks(called component carriers) are assigned to the same user. As morecomponent carriers are assigned to a user, the maximum possible datarate per user is increased. A component carrier can include a primarycell, a secondary cell, or a primary secondary cell, as describedelsewhere herein. In NR, carrier aggregation with unaligned frameboundaries may be supported. For example, if a UE supports multiplecarriers, the frame boundaries of the carriers may not need to bealigned with each other. This allows the network to configure carriersof different types, subcarrier spacings, and frame timing for the UE.

SUMMARY

In some aspects, a method of wireless communication, performed by a userequipment (UE), may include receiving information identifying an offsetbetween a start of a frame on a first component carrier and a start of aframe on a second component carrier, wherein the first component carrieris one of a primary cell (PCell) or a secondary cell (SCell), andwherein the second component carrier is the other of the PCell or theSCell; determining that a slot on the first component carrier is alignedwith a slot on the second component carrier; identifying the slot on thesecond component carrier in accordance with the offset; andcommunicating on the first component carrier or the second componentcarrier based at least in part on the start of the slot on the secondcomponent carrier.

In some aspects, a method of wireless communication, performed by a basestation, may include determining an offset between a start of a frame ona first component carrier and a start of a frame on a second componentcarrier, wherein the first component carrier is one of a primary cell(PCell) or a secondary cell (SCell) of a user equipment (UE), andwherein the second component carrier is the other of the PCell or theSCell of the UE, and wherein a slot on the first carrier is aligned witha slot on the second carrier; and transmitting information identifyingthe offset.

In some aspects, a UE for wireless communication may include memory andone or more processors operatively coupled to the memory. The memory andthe one or more processors may be configured to receive informationidentifying an offset between a start of a frame on a first componentcarrier and a start of a frame on a second component carrier, whereinthe first component carrier is one of a primary cell (PCell) or asecondary cell (SCell), and wherein the second component carrier is theother of the PCell or the SCell; determine that a slot on the firstcomponent carrier is aligned with a slot on the second componentcarrier; identify the slot on the second component carrier in accordancewith the offset; and communicate on the first component carrier or thesecond component carrier based at least in part on the start of the sloton the second component carrier.

In some aspects, a base station for wireless communication may includememory and one or more processors operatively coupled to the memory. Thememory and the one or more processors may be configured to determine anoffset between a start of a frame on a first component carrier and astart of a frame on a second component carrier, wherein the firstcomponent carrier is one of a primary cell (PCell) or a secondary cell(SCell) of a user equipment (UE), and wherein the second componentcarrier is the other of the PCell or the SCell of the UE, and wherein aslot on the first carrier is aligned with a slot on the second carrier;and transmit information identifying the offset.

In some aspects, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store oneor more instructions for wireless communication. The one or moreinstructions, when executed by one or more processors of a UE, may causethe one or more processors to: receive information identifying an offsetbetween a start of a frame on a first component carrier and a start of aframe on a second component carrier, wherein the first component carrieris one of a primary cell (PCell) or a secondary cell (SCell), andwherein the second component carrier is the other of the PCell or theSCell; determine that a slot on the first component carrier is alignedwith a slot on the second component carrier; identify the slot on thesecond component carrier in accordance with the offset; and communicateon the first component carrier or the second component carrier based atleast in part on the start of the slot on the second component carrier.

In some aspects, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store oneor more instructions for wireless communication. The one or moreinstructions, when executed by one or more processors of a base station,may cause the one or more processors to: determine an offset between astart of a frame on a first component carrier and a start of a frame ona second component carrier, wherein the first component carrier is oneof a primary cell (PCell) or a secondary cell (SCell) of a userequipment (UE), and wherein a slot on the first carrier is aligned witha slot on the second carrier; and transmit information identifying theoffset.

In some aspects, an apparatus for wireless communication may includemeans for receiving information identifying an offset between a start ofa frame on a first component carrier and a start of a frame on a secondcomponent carrier, wherein the first component carrier is one of aprimary cell (PCell) or a secondary cell (SCell), and wherein the secondcomponent carrier is the other of the PCell or the SCell; means fordetermining that a slot on the first component carrier is aligned with aslot on the second component carrier; means for identifying the slot onthe second component carrier in accordance with the offset; and meansfor communicating on the first component carrier or the second componentcarrier based at least in part on the start of the slot on the secondcomponent carrier.

In some aspects, an apparatus for wireless communication may includemeans for determining an offset between a start of a frame on a firstcomponent carrier and a start of a frame on a second component carrier,wherein the first component carrier is one of a primary cell (PCell) ora secondary cell (SCell) of a user equipment (UE), and wherein a slot onthe first carrier is aligned with a slot on the second carrier; andmeans for transmitting information identifying the offset.

In some aspects, a method of wireless communication, performed by a UE,may include receiving information identifying an offset between a startof a frame on a first component carrier and a start of a frame on asecond component carrier, the first component carrier being one of aprimary cell (PCell) or a secondary cell (SCell), and the secondcomponent carrier being the other of the PCell or the SCell; identifyingthat a start of a slot on the first component carrier coincides with astart of a slot on the second component carrier based at least in parton the offset; and communicating on the first component carrier or thesecond component carrier based at least in part on the start of the sloton the second component carrier.

In some aspects, a method of wireless communication, performed by a basestation, may include determining an offset between a start of a frame ona first component carrier and a start of a frame on a second componentcarrier, wherein a slot on the first component carrier is aligned with aslot on the second component carrier, wherein the first componentcarrier is one of a primary cell (PCell) or a secondary cell (SCell),and wherein the second component carrier is the other of the PCell orthe SCell; and transmitting information identifying the offset.

In some aspects, a UE for wireless communication may include memory andone or more processors operatively coupled to the memory. The memory andthe one or more processors may be configured to receive informationidentifying an offset between a start of a frame on a first componentcarrier and a start of a frame on a second component carrier, the firstcomponent carrier being one of a primary cell (PCell) or a secondarycell (SCell), and the second component carrier being the other of thePCell or the SCell; identify that a start of a slot on the firstcomponent carrier coincides with a start of a slot on the secondcomponent carrier based at least in part on the offset; and communicateon the first component carrier or the second component carrier based atleast in part on the start of the slot on the second component carrier.

In some aspects, a base station for wireless communication may includememory and one or more processors operatively coupled to the memory. Thememory and the one or more processors may be configured to determine anoffset between a start of a frame on a first component carrier and astart of a frame on a second component carrier, wherein a slot on thefirst component carrier is aligned with a slot on the second componentcarrier, wherein the first component carrier is one of a primary cell(PCell) or a secondary cell (SCell), and wherein the second componentcarrier is the other of the PCell or the SCell; and transmit informationidentifying the offset.

In some aspects, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store oneor more instructions for wireless communication. The one or moreinstructions, when executed by one or more processors of a UE, may causethe one or more processors to: receive information identifying an offsetbetween a start of a frame on a first component carrier and a start of aframe on a second component carrier, the first component carrier beingone of a primary cell (PCell) or a secondary cell (SCell), and thesecond component carrier being the other of the PCell or the SCell;identify that a start of a slot on the first component carrier coincideswith a start of a slot on the second component carrier based at least inpart on the offset; and communicate on the first component carrier orthe second component carrier based at least in part on the start of theslot on the second component carrier.

In some aspects, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store oneor more instructions for wireless communication. The one or moreinstructions, when executed by one or more processors of a base station,may cause the one or more processors to: determine an offset between astart of a frame on a first component carrier and a start of a frame ona second component carrier, wherein a slot on the first componentcarrier is aligned with a slot on the second component carrier, whereinthe first component carrier is one of a primary cell (PCell) or asecondary cell (SCell), and wherein the second component carrier is theother of the PCell or the SCell; and transmit information identifyingthe offset.

In some aspects, an apparatus for wireless communication may includemeans for receiving information identifying an offset between a start ofa frame on a first component carrier and a start of a frame on a secondcomponent carrier, the first component carrier being one of a primarycell (PCell) or a secondary cell (SCell), and the second componentcarrier being the other of the PCell or the SCell; means for identifyingthat a start of a slot on the first component carrier coincides with astart of a slot on the second component carrier based at least in parton the offset; and means for communicating on the first componentcarrier or the second component carrier based at least in part on thestart of the slot on the second component carrier.

In some aspects, an apparatus for wireless communication may includemeans for determining an offset between a start of a frame on a firstcomponent carrier and a start of a frame on a second component carrier,wherein a slot on the first component carrier is aligned with a slot onthe second component carrier, wherein the first component carrier is oneof a primary cell (PCell) or a secondary cell (SCell), and wherein thesecond component carrier is the other of the PCell or the SCell; andmeans for transmitting information identifying the offset.

Aspects generally include a method, apparatus, system, computer programproduct, non-transitory computer-readable medium, user equipment, basestation, wireless communication device, and/or processing system assubstantially described with reference to and as illustrated by thedrawings and specification.

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technicaladvantages of examples in accordance with the disclosure in order thatthe detailed description that follows may be better understood.Additional features and advantages will be described hereinafter. Theconception and specific examples disclosed may be readily utilized as abasis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out thesame purposes of the present disclosure. Such equivalent constructionsdo not depart from the scope of the appended claims. Characteristics ofthe concepts disclosed herein, both their organization and method ofoperation, together with associated advantages will be better understoodfrom the following description when considered in connection with theaccompanying figures. Each of the figures is provided for the purposesof illustration and description, and not as a definition of the limitsof the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the above-recited features of the present disclosure can beunderstood in detail, a more particular description, briefly summarizedabove, may be had by reference to aspects, some of which are illustratedin the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appendeddrawings illustrate only some typical aspects of this disclosure and aretherefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for thedescription may admit to other equally effective aspects. The samereference numbers in different drawings may identify the same or similarelements.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example wireless network inaccordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example base station (BS) incommunication with a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network inaccordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 3 through 7 are diagrams illustrating examples of carriercombinations for asynchronous carrier aggregation, in accordance withvarious aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of signaling associated withdetermining a slot offset between a primary cell and a secondary cell inaccordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example process performed by a UEin accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example process performed by abase station in accordance with various aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of an example apparatus for wirelesscommunication in accordance with various aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of an example apparatus for wirelesscommunication in accordance with various aspects of the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various aspects of the disclosure are described more fully hereinafterwith reference to the accompanying drawings. This disclosure may,however, be embodied in many different forms and are not to be construedas limited to any specific structure or function presented throughoutthis disclosure. Rather, these aspects are provided so that thisdisclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey thescope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Based on theteachings herein one skilled in the art may appreciate that the scope ofthe disclosure is intended to cover any aspect of the disclosuredisclosed herein, whether implemented independently of or combined withany other aspect of the disclosure. For example, an apparatus may beimplemented or a method may be practiced using any quantity of theaspects set forth herein. In addition, the scope of the disclosure isintended to cover such an apparatus or method which is practiced usingother structure, functionality, or structure and functionality inaddition to or other than the various aspects of the disclosure setforth herein. Any aspect of the disclosure disclosed herein may beembodied by one or more elements of a claim.

Several aspects of telecommunication systems will now be presented withreference to various apparatuses and techniques. These apparatuses andtechniques will be described in the following detailed description andillustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, modules,components, circuits, steps, processes, or algorithms among otherexamples, or combinations thereof (collectively referred to as“elements”). These elements may be implemented using hardware, software,or combinations thereof. Whether such elements are implemented ashardware or software depends upon the particular application and designconstraints imposed on the overall system.

In NR, carrier aggregation with unaligned frame boundaries may besupported. For example, if a UE supports multiple carriers, the frameboundaries of the carriers may not be mandated to be aligned with eachother. This allows the network to configure carriers of different types,subcarrier spacings, and frame timing for the UE. However, if slotboundaries of different carriers are not aligned based at least in parton the frame boundaries being unaligned, the UE may use significantbuffer resources to buffer parts of slots of the different carriers dueto the misalignment of the slot boundaries. Thus, even though the frameboundary is not aligned, it may be beneficial for the slot boundaries ofthe different carriers to be aligned so that the UE can operate at areasonable level of complexity (such as without requiring significantbuffer resources).

Techniques and apparatuses described herein provide determination andsignaling of an offset between the frame timing on a primary cell(PCell) and on a secondary cell (SCell) of a UE. For example, the offsetmay identify a number of slots between the beginning of a frame of thePCell and the beginning of a frame of the SCell. The offset may be basedat least in part on respective subcarrier spacings of the PCell and theSCell and a number of slots per frame for the SCell. For example, theoffset may be based at least in part on whether a subcarrier spacing thePCell is higher than, lower than, or equal to a subcarrier spacing ofthe SCell, and/or based at least in part on particular values of thesubcarrier spacings of the PCell and the SCell. Thus, a UE can identifya slot on a second component carrier. Some techniques and apparatusesdescribed herein provide maximum transmit/receive time differences forthe PCell and the SCell based at least in part on subcarrier spacings ofthe PCell and the SCell (a maximum transmit/receive time difference mayidentify a maximum time difference between a beginning of slot 0 of afirst CC and a closest slot boundary of a second CC).

Particular aspects of the subject matter described in this disclosurecan be implemented to realize one or more of the following potentialadvantages. In some examples, the described techniques can be used tosupport usage of carrier aggregation with unaligned frame boundaries. Bysupporting usage of carrier aggregation with unaligned frame boundaries,flexibility of carrier aggregation is improved and network throughput isincreased.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example wireless network inaccordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The wirelessnetwork may be a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network or some otherwireless network, such as a 5G or NR network. The wireless network mayinclude a quantity of base stations (BSs) 110 (shown as BS 110 a, BS 110b, BS 110 c, and BS 110 d) and other network entities. A BS is an entitythat communicates with user equipment (UE(s)) and may also be referredto as a Node B, an eNodeB, an eNB, a gNB, a NR BS, a 5G node B (NB), anaccess point (AP), or a transmit receive point (TRP) among otherexamples, or combinations thereof (these terms are used interchangeablyherein). Each BS may provide communication coverage for a particulargeographic area. In 3GPP, the term “cell” can refer to a coverage areaof a BS or a BS subsystem serving this coverage area, depending on thecontext in which the term is used.

A BS may provide communication coverage for a macro cell, a pico cell, afemto cell, or another type of cell. A macro cell may cover a relativelylarge geographic area (for example, several kilometers in radius) andmay allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscription. A picocell may cover a relatively small geographic area and may allowunrestricted access by UEs with service subscription. A femto cell maycover a relatively small geographic area (for example, a home) and mayallow restricted access by UEs having association with the femto cell(for example, UEs in a closed subscriber group (CSG)). A BS for a macrocell may be referred to as a macro BS. A BS for a pico cell may bereferred to as a pico BS. A BS for a femto cell may be referred to as afemto BS or a home BS. A BS may support one or multiple (for example,three) cells.

The wireless network may be a heterogeneous network that includes BSs ofdifferent types, for example, macro BSs, pico BSs, femto BSs, or relayBSs among other examples, or combinations thereof. These different typesof BSs may have different transmit power levels, different coverageareas, and different impacts on interference in the wireless network.For example, macro BSs may have a high transmit power level (forexample, 5 to 40 watts) whereas pico BSs, femto BSs, and relay BSs mayhave lower transmit power levels (for example, 0.1 to 2 watts). In theexample shown in FIG. 1, a BS 110 a may be a macro BS for a macro cell102 a, a BS 110 b may be a pico BS for a pico cell 102 b, and a BS 110 cmay be a femto BS for a femto cell 102 c. A network controller 130 maycouple to the set of BSs 102 a, 102 b, 110 a and 110 b, and may providecoordination and control for these BSs. Network controller 130 maycommunicate with the BSs via a backhaul. The BSs may also communicatewith one another, for example, directly or indirectly via a wireless orwireline backhaul.

In some aspects, a cell may not be stationary, rather, the geographicarea of the cell may move in accordance with the location of a mobileBS. In some aspects, the BSs may be interconnected to one another or toone or more other BSs or network nodes (not shown) in the wirelessnetwork through various types of backhaul interfaces such as a directphysical connection, or a virtual network among other examples, orcombinations thereof using any suitable transport network.

The wireless network may also include relay stations. A relay station isan entity that can receive a transmission of data from an upstreamstation (for example, a BS or a UE) and send a transmission of the datato a downstream station (for example, a UE or a BS). A relay station mayalso be a UE that can relay transmissions for other UEs. In the exampleshown in FIG. 1, a relay station 110 d may communicate with macro BS 110a and a UE 120 d in order to facilitate communication between BS 110 aand UE 120 d. A relay station may also be referred to as a relay BS, arelay base station, or a relay among other examples, or combinationsthereof.

UEs 120 (for example, 120 a, 120 b, 120 c) may be dispersed throughoutthe wireless network, and each UE may be stationary or mobile. A UE mayalso be referred to as an access terminal, a terminal, a mobile station,a subscriber unit, or a station, among other examples, or combinationsthereof. A UE may be a cellular phone (for example, a smart phone), apersonal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wirelesscommunication device, a handheld device, a laptop computer, a cordlessphone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a tablet, a camera, a gamingdevice, a netbook, a smartbook, an ultrabook, a medical device orequipment, biometric sensors/devices, wearable devices (smart watches,smart clothing, smart glasses, smart wrist bands, smart jewelry (forexample, smart ring, smart bracelet)), an entertainment device (forexample, a music or video device, or a satellite radio), a vehicularcomponent or sensor, smart meters/sensors, industrial manufacturingequipment, a global positioning system device, or any other suitabledevice that is configured to communicate via a wireless medium.

Some UEs may be considered machine-type communication (MTC) or evolvedor enhanced machine-type communication (eMTC) UEs. MTC and eMTC UEsinclude, for example, robots, drones, remote devices, sensors, meters,monitors or location tagsamong other examples, or combinations thereof,that may communicate with a base station, another device (for example,remote device), or some other entity. A wireless node may provide, forexample, connectivity for or to a network (for example, a wide areanetwork such as Internet or a cellular network) via a wired or wirelesscommunication link. Some UEs may be considered Internet-of-Things (IoT)devices, or may be implemented as NB-IoT (narrowband internet of things)devices. Some UEs may be considered a Customer Premises Equipment (CPE).UE 120 may be included inside a housing that houses components of UE120, such as processor components, or memory components among otherexamples, or combinations thereof.

In general, any quantity of wireless networks may be deployed in a givengeographic area. Each wireless network may support a particular radioaccess technology (RAT) and may operate on one or more frequencies orfrequency channels. A frequency may also be referred to as a carrieramong other examples, or combinations thereof. Each frequency maysupport a single RAT in a given geographic area in order to avoidinterference between wireless networks of different RATs. In some cases,NR or 5G RAT networks may be deployed.

In some aspects, two or more UEs 120 (for example, shown as UE 120 a andUE 120 e) may communicate directly with one another using one or moresidelink channels (for example, without using a base station 110 as anintermediary). For example, the UEs 120 may communicate usingpeer-to-peer (P2P) communications, device-to-device (D2D)communications, a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) protocol (for example,which may include a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) protocol, or avehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) protocol among other examples, orcombinations thereof), or a mesh network among other examples, orcombinations thereof. In such examples, the UE 120 may performscheduling operations, resource selection operations, or otheroperations described elsewhere herein as being performed by the basestation 110.

Devices of the wireless network may communicate using theelectromagnetic spectrum, which may be subdivided based on frequency orwavelength into various classes, bands, or channels. For example,devices of the wireless network may communicate using an operating bandhaving a first frequency range (FR1), which may span from 410 MHz to7.125 GHz. As another example, devices of the wireless network maycommunicate using an operating band having a second frequency range(FR2), which may span from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz. The frequenciesbetween FR1 and FR2 are sometimes referred to as mid-band frequencies.Although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, FR1 is often referredto as a “sub-6 GHz” band. Similarly, FR2 is often referred to as a“millimeter wave” band despite being different from the extremely highfrequency (EHF) band (30 GHz-300 GHz) which is identified by theInternational Telecommunications Union (ITU) as a “millimeter wave”band. Thus, unless specifically stated otherwise, it should beunderstood that the term “sub-6 GHz” may broadly represent frequenciesless than 6 GHz, frequencies within FR1, mid-band frequencies (forexample, greater than 7.125 GHz), or a combination thereof. Similarly,unless specifically stated otherwise, it should be understood that theterm “millimeter wave” may broadly represent frequencies within the EHFband, frequencies within FR2, mid-band frequencies (for example, lessthan 24.25 GHz), or a combination thereof. The frequencies included inFR1 and FR2 may be modified, and techniques described herein areapplicable to those modified frequency ranges.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example base station (BS) incommunication with a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network inaccordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. Base station110 may be equipped with T antennas 234 a through 234 t, and UE 120 maybe equipped with R antennas 252 a through 252 r, where in general T≥1and R≥1.

At base station 110, a transmit processor 220 may receive data from adata source 212 for one or more UEs, select one or more modulation andcoding schemes (MCSs) for each UE based at least in part on channelquality indicators (CQIs) received from the UE, process (for example,encode) the data for each UE based at least in part on the MCS(s)selected for the UE, and provide data symbols for all UEs. Transmitprocessor 220 may also process system information (for example, forsemi-static resource partitioning information (SRPI) among otherexamples, or combinations thereof) and control information (for example,CQI requests, grants, or upper layer signaling among other examples, orcombinations thereof) and provide overhead symbols and control symbols.Transmit processor 220 may also generate reference symbols for referencesignals (for example, the cell-specific reference signal (CRS)) andsynchronization signals (for example, the primary synchronization signal(PSS) and secondary synchronization signal (SSS)). A transmit (TX)multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 230 may perform spatialprocessing (for example, precoding) on the data symbols, the controlsymbols, the overhead symbols, or the reference symbols, if applicable,and may provide T output symbol streams to T modulators (MODs) 232 athrough 232 t. Each MOD 232 may process a respective output symbolstream (for example, for OFDM among other examples, or combinationsthereof) to obtain an output sample stream. Each MOD 232 may furtherprocess (for example, convert to analog, amplify, filter, and upconvert)the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. T downlink signalsfrom MODs 232 a through 232 t may be transmitted via T antennas 234 athrough 234 t, respectively. In accordance with various aspectsdescribed in more detail below, the synchronization signals can begenerated with location encoding to convey additional information.

At UE 120, antennas 252 a through 252 r may receive the downlink signalsfrom base station 110 or other base stations and may provide receivedsignals to R demodulators (DEMODs) 254 a through 254 r, respectively.Each DEMOD 254 may condition (for example, filter, amplify, downconvert,and digitize) a received signal to obtain input samples. Each DEMOD 254may further process the input samples (for example, for OFDM among otherexamples, or combinations thereof) to obtain received symbols. A MIMOdetector 256 may obtain received symbols from all R DEMODs 254 a through254 r, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols if applicable, andprovide detected symbols. A receive processor 258 may process (forexample, decode) the detected symbols, provide decoded data for UE 120to a data sink 260, and provide decoded control information and systeminformation to a controller/processor 280. A channel processor maydetermine a reference signal received power (RSRP), a received signalstrength indicator (RSSI), a reference signal received quality (RSRQ),or a channel quality indicator (CQI), among other examples, orcombinations thereof. In some aspects, one or more components of UE 120may be included in a housing.

On the uplink, at UE 120, a transmit processor 264 may receive andprocess data from a data source 262 as well as control information (forexample, for reports including RSRP, RSSI, RSRQ, or CQI among otherexamples, or combinations thereof) from controller/processor 280.Transmit processor 264 may also generate reference symbols for one ormore reference signals. The symbols from transmit processor 264 may beprecoded by a TX MIMO processor 266 if applicable, further processed byMODs 254 a through 254 r (for example, for discrete Fourier transformspread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-s-OFDM), ororthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) with a cyclic prefix(CP) (CP-OFDM) among other examples, or combinations thereof), andtransmitted to base station 110. At base station 110, the uplink signalsfrom UE 120 and other UEs may be received by antennas 234, processed byDEMODs 232, detected by a MIMO detector 236 if applicable, and furtherprocessed by a receive processor 238 to obtain decoded data and controlinformation sent by UE 120. Receive processor 238 may provide thedecoded data to a data sink 239 and the decoded control information tocontroller/processor 240. Base station 110 may include communicationunit 244 and communicate to network controller 130 via communicationunit 244. Network controller 130 may include communication unit 294,controller/processor 290, and memory 292.

Controller/processor 240 of base station 110, controller/processor 280of UE 120, or any other component(s) of FIG. 2 may perform one or moretechniques associated with asynchronous carrier aggregation slotalignment, as described in more detail elsewhere herein. For example,controller/processor 240 of base station 110, controller/processor 280of UE 120, or any other component(s) of FIG. 2 may perform or directoperations of, for example, the process 900 of FIG. 9, the process 1000of FIG. 10, or other processes as described herein. Memories 242 and 282may store data and program codes for base station 110 and UE 120,respectively. A scheduler 246 may schedule UEs for data transmission onthe downlink or uplink.

In some aspects, UE 120 may include means for receiving informationidentifying an offset between a start of a frame on a first componentcarrier and a start of a frame on a second component carrier, means fordetermining that a slot on the first component carrier is aligned with aslot on the second component carrier, means for identifying the slot onthe second component carrier in accordance with the offset, means foridentifying the slot on the second component carrier based at least inpart on whether a subcarrier spacing of the PCell is greater than asubcarrier spacing of the SCell, and based at least in part on a numberof slots per frame in the second component carrier, means fordetermining a sum of slot time lengths of slots between the start of theframe on the first component carrier and the start of the frame on thesecond component carrier, means for determining a time offset betweenthe start of the frame on the first component carrier and the start ofthe frame on the second component carrier in accordance with the sum ofslot time lengths, means for communicating on the first componentcarrier or the second component carrier based at least in part on thestart of the slot on the second component carrier, and means foridentifying that a start of a slot on the first component carriercoincides with a start of a slot on the second component carrier basedat least in part on the offset, among other examples, or combinationsthereof. In some aspects, such means may include one or more componentsof UE 120 described in connection with FIG. 2.

In some aspects, base station 110 may include means for determining anoffset between a start of a frame on a first component carrier and astart of a frame on a second component carrier, means for transmittinginformation identifying the offset, among other examples, orcombinations thereof. In some aspects, such means may include one ormore components of base station 110 described in connection with FIG. 2.

As described above, carrier aggregation with unaligned frame boundariesmay be supported. For example, if a UE supports multiple carriers, theframe boundaries of the carriers may not be mandated to be aligned witheach other. This allows the network to configure carriers of differenttypes, subcarrier spacings, and frame timing for the UE. However, eventhough the frame boundary is not aligned, it may be beneficial for theslot boundaries of the different carriers to be aligned so that the UEcan operate at a reasonable level of complexity (such as withoutrequiring significant buffer resources).

Techniques and apparatuses described herein provide determination andsignaling of an offset between the frame timing on a primary cell(PCell) and on a secondary cell (SCell) of a UE. For example, the offsetmay identify a number of slots between the beginning of a frame of thePCell and the beginning of a frame of the SCell. The offset may be basedat least in part on respective subcarrier spacings of the PCell and theSCell and a number of slots per frame for the SCell. Some techniques andapparatuses described herein provide maximum transmit/receive timedifferences for the PCell and the SCell based at least in part onsubcarrier spacings of the PCell and the SCell. Thus, usage of carrieraggregation with unaligned frame boundaries may be supported, whichimproves flexibility of carrier aggregation and increases networkthroughput.

As an example, for an offset N, the beginning of Slot 0 of a firstcomponent carrier CC1 may coincide with a slot l of a second componentcarrier CC2, where

l=qN mod M.  Equation 1

In Equation 1, if the subcarrier spacing (SCS) of the PCell is smallerthan or equal to the SCS of the SCell, then CC1=PCell, CC2=SCell, andq=−1. Otherwise, CC1=SCell, CC2=PCell, and q=1. In some aspects, thisdetermination of CC1 and CC2 may be based at least in part on the SCSsof the PCell and the SCell being lower than 60 kHz. In Equation 1, M isthe number of slots per frame in CC2. In Equation 1, the SCS of a CCrefers to the lowest SCS of any bandwidth part (BWP) and synchronizationsignal block (SSB) configured in the CC. The value N (such as theoffset) may be signaled to the UE, for example, in radio resourcecontrol (RRC) signaling in connection with setting up the SCell. As usedherein, “lowest SCS” and “smallest SCS” are synonymous with each other,as are “highest SCS” and “largest SCS.” In some aspects, if the SCS ofthe PCell and the SCS of the SCell are equal to each other and aregreater than or equal to 60 kHz, then the first CC may be a CC with alowest frequency (such as a point A with a lowest frequency) of thePCell and the SCell.

In some aspects, the offset N may be an integer between −39 and +40, orbetween −40 and +39, which can be represented by 7 bits in a radioresource control (RRC) signaling. In some aspects, the BS 110 mayconfigure a table of N values, and use RRC signaling to indicate aspecific value of N. In some aspects, the value of N indicates the gapbetween the start of a frame in the PCell and a frame in the SCell inunits of number of slots, where the slot is measured in accordance withthe slot duration of the CC (of the PCell and the Scell) with a largerSCS.

Furthermore, in some aspects, the sign of N indicates whether thestarting time of the frame on the SCell is ahead of the starting time ofthe frame on the PCell or is behind the starting time of the frame onthe PCell. For example, if N is negative, then the beginning of a framein the SCell is ahead of the frame in the PCell by N slots. If N ispositive, then the beginning of a frame in the SCell is later than thestarting time of a frame in the PCell by N slots.

The value of q may change the role of CC1 and CC2 based at least in parton whether the SCS of the PCell is greater than the SCS of the SCell ornot. For example, in Equation 1, the SCS of CC1 may not be greater thanthe SCS of CC2. However, the signaled value Nis defined as an offset ofthe SCell relative to the PCell, regardless of the SCS of the PCell andthe SCell. As such, the UE 120 or the BS 110 may adjust the sign of thevalue of N when determining the actual offset between the start of theframes of the PCell and the SCell.

A maximum transmit time difference may identify the maximum timedifference between the beginning of Slot 0 of CC1 and the closest slotboundary of CC2 in the uplink (UL). A maximum receive time differencemay identify the maximum time difference between the beginning of Slot 0of CC1 and the closest slot boundary of CC2 in the downlink (DL). Inthis example, CC1=PCell and CC2=SCell, if the SCS of PCell is smallerthan or equal to the SCS of SCell, and CC1=SCell and CC2=Pcellotherwise. Furthermore, the SCS of a CC refers to the lowest SCS of anyBWP and SSB configured in the CC.

In some aspects, a relative time offset or physical time (such as anoffset between the slot boundaries between two CCs in units ofmilliseconds) may not be a uniform function of N when the SCS of CC2 isgreater than or equal to 60 kHz. For example, in NR, when SCS is greaterthan or equal to 60 kHz, the slot duration is not a constant value. Insome aspects, the first slot within each 0.5 ms window may be longerthan other slots within the same 0.5 ms window. For example, when SCS=60kHz, each 0.5 ms contains 2 slots, where a slot length of the first slotis greater than a slot length of the second slot. When SCS=120 kHz, each0.5 ms contains 4 slots, the first slot length is greater than thesecond slot length, and the second slot length is equal to the thirdslot length and the fourth slot length. When the SCS=15 kHz or 30 kHz,each 0.5 ms may contain a half slot or one slot. In such examples, theslot length/duration is of a constant value (e.g., 1 ms for SCS=15 kHz,and 0.5 ms for SCS=30 kHz).

If the UE determines the physical time offset from the indicated integerN, the physical time offset may not be a multiple of N. For example, thephysical time offset may be the sum of the slot durations of CC2 (e.g.,the CC that has smallest SCS). This physical time offset may depend onthe slot length of each slot involved in the summation.

For example, briefly referring to FIG. 7, when N=−3, the time offsetbetween the SCell and the PCell is equal to 3*t2, where t2 is the lengthof a smaller slot. On the other hand, when N=+3, the time offset betweenSCell and PCell is equal to t1+2*t2, where t1 is the length of a longerslot (e.g., the first slot of each 0.5 ms window).

FIGS. 3 through 7 show examples of slot configurations for PCells andSCells. The PCell slot configuration is shown by the bottom row ofrectangles (for example, indicated by reference number 310 in FIG. 3).SCell slot configurations with different offsets are indicated byreference number 320. The offsets are indicated by reference number 330.As an example, referring to FIG. 3, consider an offset of −1 (N=−1),shown by reference number 340. The row of rectangles corresponding tothe N=−1 cell shows the frame offset of the SCell relative to the PCell.For example, Slot 0 of the SCell, indicated by reference number 350, isoffset by 1 slot relative to Slot 0 of the PCell, indicated by referencenumber 360. The row of offset values indicated by reference number 370also shows the offset. For example, an N value of −1 leads to the lineshown by reference number 380, which indicates the time offset relativeto the start of slot 0 of the PCell.

More specifically, to determine the slot of the SCell that correspondsto slot 0 of the PCell, the UE 120 may use Equation 1, described above.In other words, the UE 120 may determine that CC1 is the PCell and CC2is the SCell, based at least in part on the SCS of the PCell beingsmaller than SCS of the Scell. Thus, the UE 120 determines that q=−1 inthe equations associated with Equation 1. The UE 120 may determine thatM is equal to 80, which is the number of slots per frame on CC2 (thatis, the SCS of the SCell). Finally, when the UE 120 receives a signalingoffset of N=−1, the UE 120 uses Equation 1 to determine that Slot l=q*Nmod M=(−1)*(−1) mod M=1. From the above, the UE 120 determines that Slot0 on CC1 (that is, the PCell) is aligned with slot 1 on CC2 (that is,the SCell), as also indicated in the figure.

FIG. 3 shows example slot configurations for a PCell with a 15 kHz SCSand an SCell with a 120 kHz SCS. FIG. 4 shows example slotconfigurations for a PCell with a 60 kHz SCS and an SCell with a 120 kHzSCS. FIG. 5 shows example slot configurations for a PCell with a 120 kHzSCS and an SCell with a 120 kHz SCS. FIG. 6 shows example slotconfigurations for a PCell with a 120 kHz SCS and an SCell with a 15 kHzSCS.

FIG. 7 shows a PCell with a 120 kHz SCS and an SCell with a 60 kHz SCS.Taking again the example of N=−1, the UE 120 may determine that q=1based at least in part on the equations associated with Equation 1 andbased at least in part on the SCS of PCell being greater than the SCS ofthe SCell. The UE 120 may determine that M is equal to 80, which is thenumber of slots per frame on CC2 (that is, the SCS of the PCell). Whenthe UE 120 receives a signaling offset of N=−1, the UE 120 may useEquation 1 to determine that Slot l=q*N mod M=1*(−1) mod M=−1 mod 80=79.From the above, the UE 120 determines that Slot 0 on CC1 (that is, theSCell) is aligned with slot 79 on CC2 (that is, the PCell), as is alsoindicated in the figure.

In both the case of FIG. 3 and the case of FIG. 7, N=−1 indicates thatthe start of the SCell is ahead of the start of PCell by 1 slot(measured in the slot duration of the CC with larger SCS).

In the case of FIG. 7, when N=−3, the time offset between the SCell andthe PCell is equal to 3*t2, where t2 is the length of a smaller slot. Onthe other hand, when N=+3, the time offset between SCell and PCell isequal to t1+2*t2, where t1 is the length of a longer slot (that is, the1^(st) slot of each 0.5 ms window). Furthermore, t2 is equal to the slotduration of slot 1 (that is, the second slot of the frame) on the PCell,and t1 is equal to the slot duration of slot 0 (that is, the first slot,in time, of the frame) on the PCell, where t1>t2.

In some aspects, a CC may be associated with a timing group, which mayalso be referred to as a downlink (DL) timing group. Between any pair ofCCs or cells in a given timing group, the offset N may be zero. Betweenany pair of cells that are associated with different timing groups, theoffset N may be non-zero. In some aspects, cells that are associatedwith a same band may be associated with a same timing group. Forexample, cells in the same band may always belong to a same timinggroup.

In some aspects, the maximum number of timing groups may be specified,such as in a technical specification. For example, the UE may determinea UE capability for a number of timing groups supported by the UE, andmay transmit information identifying how many timing groups aresupported by the UE. In some aspects, the UE may be associated with amaximum of two timing groups. For example, the UE may indicate supportof at most two timing groups.

In some aspects, a timing group may be associated with a reference CC.The offset for a timing group may be signaled for the reference CC ofthe timing group relative to the PCell of the UE. The offset may not besignaled for the timing group containing the PCell. For a cell, the UEmay be indicated by the base station (such as via RRC configuration)whether a cell is a reference cell for a timing group or not. If thecell is a reference cell, the UE may receive the offset value betweenthe cell and the PCell. If the cell is not a reference cell, then the UEmay not receive the offset value. If the cell belongs to a cell thatcontains the PCell, then the UE may not receive the offset value. Forany cell in a timing group that does not contain the PCell, the offsetbetween the cell and the PCell is equal to the offset between thereference cell in the timing group and the PCell. The UE may receiveconfiguration information indicating a DL timing group to which aparticular cell belongs. This information can be signaled via an RRCparameter, such as a DL timing group identifier.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of signaling associated withdetermining a slot offset between a PCell and an SCell in accordancewith various aspects of the present disclosure. As shown, FIG. 8includes a UE 120 and a BS 110.

In a first operation 810, the BS 110 may determine an offset (N,described in more detail elsewhere herein). The offset may indicate aslot offset between a first CC and a second CC. For example, the offsetmay indicate a number of slots between a start of a frame on the firstCC and a start of a frame on the second CC. In some aspects, the BS 110may determine the offsets based at least in part on respective SCSsassociated with the first CC and the second CC, as described in moredetail elsewhere herein.

In some aspects, the first CC and the second CC may be included in agroup of CCs configured for the UE 120. For example, the group of CCsmay include a PCell and one or more SCells. “PCell” is usedinterchangeably with “primary CC” herein, and “SCell” is usedinterchangeably with “secondary CC” herein. Furthermore, while thetechniques described herein generally refer to PCell or a primary CC,these techniques can also be applied for a combination of a primarysecondary cell (PSCell) and an SCell.

As shown, the BS 110 may transmit configuration information 820 to theUE 120. The UE 120 may receive the configuration information 820. Asfurther shown, the configuration information 820 may indicate the offsetdetermined by the BS 110. For example, the configuration information 820may configure the offset in association with one or more of the first CCor the second CC. In some aspects, the configuration information 820 mayconfigure the first CC. Additionally or alternatively, the configurationinformation 820 may configure the second CC.

In a second operation 830, the UE 120 may determine that a slot on thefirst CC is aligned with a slot on the second CC. For example, the UE120 may determine that one or more slot boundaries on the first CC andthe second CC are aligned with each other. In some aspects, the UE 120may determine that the one or more slot boundaries are aligned with eachother irrespective of whether slot indexes of the first CC and thesecond CC are aligned with each other. In other words, the UE 120 maydetermine whether slot boundaries align, rather than whether slots witha same slot index overlap on the first CC and the second CC. In someaspects, the UE 120 may perform the operations of the example 800without determining that the slot on the first CC is aligned with theslot on the second CC.

In a third operation 840, the UE 120 may determine whether the first CCcorresponds to a PCell of the UE 120 or an SCell of the UE 120. Thus,the UE 120 may also implicitly determine whether the second CCcorresponds to the PCell or the SCell. In some aspects, the UE 120 mayperform this determination based at least in part on respective SCS ofthe first CC and the second CC, respective frequencies of the first CCand the second CC, or a combination thereof, as described in more detailin connection with Equation 1, above.

In a fourth operation 850, the UE 120 may identify the slot on thesecond CC in accordance with the offset and based at least in part on afirst slot (such as slot 0 of a frame) of the first CC. For example, theUE 120 may use the offset (N), may determine a value of q based at leastin part on whether the PCell is the first CC or the second CC, and mayuse Equation 1 (described above) to identify the slot on the second CC,as described in more detail elsewhere herein. In a fifth operation 860,the UE 120 and the BS 110 may communication on the first CC or thesecond CC. For example, the UE 120 and the BS 110 may communicate basedat least in part on the offset and based at least in part on therespective slots on the first CC and the second CC.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example process 900 performed, forexample, by a UE in accordance with various aspects of the presentdisclosure. Example process 900 is an example where the UE (such as UE120 or the like) performs operations associated with asynchronouscarrier aggregation slot alignment.

As shown in FIG. 9, in some aspects, process 900 may include receivinginformation identifying an offset between a start of a frame on a firstcomponent carrier and a start of a frame on a second component carrier(block 910). For example, the UE (such as using receive processor 258,transmit processor 264, controller/processor 280, memory 282, or thelike) may receive information identifying an offset between a start of aframe on a first component carrier and a start of a frame on a secondcomponent carrier, as described above. In some aspects, the firstcomponent carrier is one of a primary cell (PCell) or a secondary cell(SCell), and the second component carrier is the other of the PCell orthe SCell.

As further shown in FIG. 9, in some aspects, process 900 may includeidentifying that a start of a slot on the first component carriercoincides with a start of a slot on the second component carrier basedat least in part on the offset (block 920). For example, the UE (such asusing receive processor 258, transmit processor 264,controller/processor 280, memory 282, or the like) may identify that astart of a slot on the first component carrier coincides with a start ofa slot on the second component carrier based at least in part on theoffset, as described above.

As further shown in FIG. 9, in some aspects, process 900 may includecommunicating on the first component carrier or the second componentcarrier based at least in part on the start of the slot on the secondcomponent carrier (block 930). For example, the UE (e.g., using antenna252, DEMOD 254, MIMO detector 256, receive processor 258,controller/processor 280, and/or the like) may optionally communicate onthe first component carrier or the second component carrier based atleast in part on the start of the slot on the second component carrier.

Process 900 may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect orany combination of aspects described below and/or in connection with oneor more other processes described elsewhere herein.

In a first aspect, the slot on the first component carrier is a firstslot of the frame on the first component carrier.

In a second additional aspect, alone or in combination with the firstaspect, the slot on the first component carrier is aligned with the sloton the second component carrier based at least in part on a start of theslot on the first component carrier being contemporaneous with a startof the slot on the second component carrier.

In a third additional aspect, alone or in combination with one or moreof the first and second aspects, based at least in part on determiningthat a subcarrier spacing of the PCell is smaller than or equal to asubcarrier spacing of the SCell, the first component carrier is thePCell and the second component carrier is the SCell.

In a fourth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one or moreof the first through third aspects, based at least in part ondetermining that a subcarrier spacing of the PCell is greater than asubcarrier spacing of the SCell, the second component carrier is thePCell and the first component carrier is the SCell.

In a fifth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one or moreof the first through fourth aspects, identifying the slot on the secondcomponent carrier in accordance with the offset comprises: identifyingthe slot on the second component carrier based at least in part onwhether a subcarrier spacing of the PCell is greater than a subcarrierspacing of the SCell, and based at least in part on a number of slotsper frame in the second component carrier.

In a sixth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one or moreof the first through fifth aspects, identifying the slot on the secondcomponent carrier based at least in part on whether a subcarrier spacingof the PCell is greater than a subcarrier spacing of the SCell is basedat least in part on a first value when the subcarrier spacing of thePCell is less than or equal to the subcarrier spacing of the SCell, andbased at least in part on a second value when the subcarrier spacing ofthe PCell is greater than the subcarrier spacing of the SCell.

In a seventh additional aspect, alone or in combination with one or moreof the first through sixth aspects, identifying the slot on the secondcomponent carrier in accordance with the offset is based at least inpart on a subcarrier spacing of the first component carrier and asubcarrier spacing of the second component carrier, the subcarrierspacing of the first component carrier and the subcarrier spacing of thesecond component carrier are a lowest subcarrier spacing of anybandwidth part and synchronization signal block configured in the firstcomponent carrier and the second component carrier, respectively.

In an eighth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one or moreof the first through seventh aspects, the information identifying theoffset is received in connection with configuring the SCell.

In a ninth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one or moreof the first through eighth aspects, the offset identifies a quantity ofslots between the start of the frame on the first component carrier andthe start of the frame on the second component carrier.

In a tenth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one or moreof the first through ninth aspects, identifying the slot on the secondcomponent carrier in accordance with the offset further comprises:determining a sum of slot time lengths of slots between the start of theframe on the first component carrier and the start of the frame on thesecond component carrier; and determining a time offset between thestart of the frame on the first component carrier and the start of theframe on the second component carrier in accordance with the sum of slottime lengths.

In an eleventh additional aspect, alone or in combination with one ormore of the first through tenth aspects, process 900 includesdetermining a maximum transmit time difference or a maximum receive timedifference between the first component carrier and the second componentcarrier based at least in part on respective subcarrier spacings of thefirst component carrier and the second component carrier.

In a twelfth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one or moreof the first through eleventh aspects, the maximum transmit timedifference and the maximum receive time difference are maximum timedifferences between a start of the slot on the first component carrierand a closest slot boundary of the second component carrier in theuplink and the downlink, respectively.

In a thirteenth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one ormore of the first through twelfth aspects, the first component carrieris associated with a first timing group and the second component carrieris associated with a second timing group that is different from thefirst timing group.

In a fourteenth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one ormore of the first through thirteenth aspects, two or more componentcarriers associated with the first timing group are associated with nooffset relative to each other, and wherein two or more componentcarriers associated with the second timing group are associated with nooffset relative to each other.

In a fifteenth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one ormore of the first through fourteenth aspects, the UE is associated witha capability indicating how many timing groups can be supported by theUE.

In a sixteenth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one ormore of the first through fifteenth aspects, the second componentcarrier is a reference component carrier of the second timing group, andwherein the first component carrier is the PCell.

In a seventeenth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one ormore of the first through sixteenth aspects, the offset is signaled fora timing group, of the first timing group and the second timing group,that is not associated with the PCell.

In an eighteenth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one ormore of the first through seventeenth aspects, the process 900 includesdetermining a UE capability for a number of timing groups supported bythe UE; and transmitting information identifying the UE capability tothe base station.

In a nineteenth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one ormore of the first through eighteenth aspects, the process 900 includesreceiving a configuration for a third component carrier; and receivingconfiguration information indicating whether the third component carrierbelongs to the first timing group or the second timing group.

In a twentieth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one ormore of the first through nineteenth aspects, the configurationinformation indicates respective timing group identifiers of the firstcomponent carrier, the second component carrier, and the third componentcarrier.

In a twenty-first additional aspect, alone or in combination with one ormore of the first through twentieth aspects, when the third componentcarrier belongs to a timing group that does not contain the PCell, theprocess 900 further comprises: determining an offset between the thirdcomponent carrier and the PCell based at least in part on relativetiming between the first timing group and the second timing group.

In a twenty-second additional aspect, alone or in combination with oneor more of the first through twenty-first aspects, the offset indicatesa timing offset between the first timing group and the second timinggroup.

In a twenty-third additional aspect, alone or in combination with one ormore of the first through twenty-second aspects, the first timing groupand the second timing group are downlink timing groups.

In a twenty-fourth additional aspect, alone or in combination with oneor more of the first through twenty-third aspects, cells of a same bandbelong to a same timing group.

In a twenty-fifth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one ormore of the first through twenty-fourth aspects, the slot on the firstcomponent carrier is a slot zero of the frame on the first componentcarrier.

In a twenty-sixth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one ormore of the first through twenty-fifth aspects, the first componentcarrier is one of a component carrier with a lower subcarrier spacing ofsubcarrier spacings configured for the PCell and the SCell, or if thePCell and the SCell have a same subcarrier spacing, the PCell.

In a twenty-seventh additional aspect, alone or in combination with oneor more of the first through twenty-sixth aspects, the process 900further comprises determining that a subcarrier spacing of the PCell issmaller than or equal to a subcarrier spacing of the SCell; anddetermining that the first component carrier is the PCell and the secondcomponent carrier is the SCell based at least in part on determiningthat the subcarrier spacing of the PCell is smaller than or equal to thesubcarrier spacing of the SCell.

In a twenty-eighth additional aspect, alone or in combination with oneor more of the first through twenty-seventh aspects, identifying that astart of a slot on the first component carrier coincides with a start ofa slot on the second component carrier based at least in part on theoffset further comprises identifying a component carrier associated witha lower frequency, of the PCell and the SCell, as the first componentcarrier based at least in part on the PCell and the SCell beingconfigured with a same subcarrier spacing that is equal to or greaterthan 60 kilohertz; and identifying the slot on the second componentcarrier as a slot qN mod M, where q is equal to a first value if thePCell is the first component carrier or a second value if the SCell isthe first component carrier, N is the offset, and M is the number ofslots per frame in a component carrier associated with a higherfrequency of the PCell and the SCell.

In a twenty-ninth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one ormore of the first through twenty-eighth aspects, determining that thesecond component carrier is the PCell and the first component carrier isthe SCell based at least in part on the subcarrier spacing of the PCellbeing greater than the subcarrier spacing of the SCell.

In a thirtieth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one ormore of the first through twenty-ninth aspects, identifying the slot onthe second component carrier in accordance with the offset based atleast in part on whether a subcarrier spacing of the PCell is greaterthan a subcarrier spacing of the SCell, and based at least in part on anumber of slots per frame in a component carrier, of the PCell and theSCell, with a larger subcarrier spacing.

In a thirty-first additional aspect, alone or in combination with one ormore of the first through thirtieth aspects, identifying the slot on thesecond component carrier based at least in part on whether thesubcarrier spacing of the PCell is greater than the subcarrier spacingof the SCell comprises identifying the slot on the second componentcarrier based at least in part on a first value when the subcarrierspacing of the PCell is less than or equal to the subcarrier spacing ofthe SCell, and based at least in part on a second value when thesubcarrier spacing of the PCell is greater than the subcarrier spacingof the SCell.

In a thirty-second additional aspect, alone or in combination with oneor more of the first through thirty-first aspects, identifying the sloton the second component carrier based at least in part on whether thesubcarrier spacing of the PCell is greater than the subcarrier spacingof the SCell comprises identifying the slot on the second componentcarrier as a slot qN mod M, where q is equal to the first value or thesecond value, N is the offset, and M is the number of slots per frame inthe component carrier with the larger subcarrier spacing.

In a thirty-third additional aspect, alone or in combination with one ormore of the first through thirty-second aspects, identifying the slot onthe second component carrier in accordance with the offset comprisesidentifying the slot on the second component carrier in accordance withthe offset based at least in part on the subcarrier spacing of the PCelland the subcarrier spacing of the SCell, wherein the subcarrier spacingof the PCell and the subcarrier spacing of the SCell are a lowestsubcarrier spacing of any bandwidth part and synchronization signalblock configured in the PCell and the SCell, respectively.

In a thirty-fourth additional aspect, alone or in combination with oneor more of the first through thirty-third aspects, identifying the sloton the second component carrier in accordance with the offset based atleast in part on the subcarrier spacing of the PCell and the subcarrierspacing of the SCell further comprises identifying the slot on thesecond component carrier in accordance with the offset based at least inpart on the subcarrier spacing of the PCell and the subcarrier spacingof the SCell being equal to each other and lower than 60 kilohertz.

In a thirty-fifth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one ormore of the first through thirty-fourth aspects, identifying the slot onthe second component carrier in accordance with the offset based atleast in part on a subcarrier spacing of the first component carrier anda subcarrier spacing of the second component carrier further comprisesidentifying the slot on the second component carrier in accordance withthe offset based at least in part on the subcarrier spacing of the firstcomponent carrier and the subcarrier spacing of the second componentcarrier being different than each other.

In a thirty-sixth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one ormore of the first through thirty-fifth aspects, the informationidentifying the offset is received in connection with configuring theSCell.

In a thirty-seventh additional aspect, alone or in combination with oneor more of the first through thirty-sixth aspects, the offset identifiesa quantity of slots between the start of the frame on the firstcomponent carrier and the start of the frame on the second componentcarrier.

Although FIG. 9 shows example blocks of process 900, in some aspects,process 900 may include additional blocks, fewer blocks, differentblocks, or differently arranged blocks than those depicted in FIG. 9.Additionally or alternatively, two or more of the blocks of process 900may be performed in parallel.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example process 1000 performed, forexample, by a base station in accordance with various aspects of thepresent disclosure. Example process 1000 is an example where the basestation (such as BS 110) performs operations associated withasynchronous carrier aggregation slot alignment.

As shown in FIG. 10, in some aspects, process 1000 may includedetermining an offset between a start of a frame on a first componentcarrier and a start of a frame on a second component carrier, wherein aslot on the first carrier is aligned with a slot on the second carrier(block 1010). For example, the base station (using controller/processor240 and/or the like) may determine an offset between a start of a frameon a first component carrier and a start of a frame on a secondcomponent carrier, as described above. In some aspects, a slot on thefirst carrier is aligned with a slot on the second carrier.

As further shown in FIG. 10, in some aspects, process 1000 may includetransmitting information identifying the offset (block 1020). Forexample, the base station (such as using controller/processor 240,transmit processor 220, TX MIMO processor 230, MOD 232, antenna 234, orthe like) may transmit information identifying the offset, as describedabove.

Process 1000 may include additional aspects, such as any single aspector any combination of aspects described below and/or in connection withone or more other processes described elsewhere herein.

In a first aspect, the slot on the first component carrier is a firstslot of the frame on the first component carrier.

In a second additional aspect, alone or in combination with the firstaspect, the slot on the first component carrier is aligned with the sloton the second component carrier based at least in part on a start of theslot on the first component carrier being contemporaneous with a startof the slot on the second component carrier.

In a third additional aspect, alone or in combination with one or moreof the first and second aspects, based at least in part on determiningthat a subcarrier spacing of the PCell is smaller than or equal to asubcarrier spacing of the SCell, the first component carrier is thePCell and the second component carrier is the SCell.

In a fourth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one or moreof the first through third aspects, based at least in part ondetermining that a subcarrier spacing of the PCell is greater than asubcarrier spacing of the SCell, the second component carrier is thePCell and the first component carrier is the SCell.

In a fifth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one or moreof the first through fourth aspects, the offset is based at least inpart on whether a subcarrier spacing of the PCell is greater than asubcarrier spacing of the SCell, and based at least in part on a numberof slots per frame in the second component carrier.

In a sixth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one or moreof the first through fifth aspects, the offset is based at least in parton a subcarrier spacing of the first component carrier and a subcarrierspacing of the second component carrier, the subcarrier spacing of thefirst component carrier and the subcarrier spacing of the secondcomponent carrier are a lowest subcarrier spacing of any bandwidth partand synchronization signal block configured in the first componentcarrier and the second component carrier, respectively.

In a seventh additional aspect, alone or in combination with one or moreof the first through sixth aspects, the information identifying theoffset is transmitted in connection with configuring the SCell.

In an eighth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one or moreof the first through seventh aspects, the offset identifies a quantityof slots between the start of the frame on the first component carrierand the start of the frame on the second component carrier.

In a ninth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one or moreof the first through eighth aspects, process 1000 includes determining amaximum transmit time difference or a maximum receive time differencebetween the first component carrier and the second component carrierbased at least in part on respective subcarrier spacings of the firstcomponent carrier and the second component carrier.

In a tenth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one or moreof the first through ninth aspects, the maximum transmit time differenceand the maximum receive time difference are maximum time differencesbetween a start of the slot on the first component carrier and a closestslot boundary of the second component carrier in the uplink and thedownlink, respectively.

In an eleventh additional aspect, alone or in combination with one ormore of the first through tenth aspects, the first component carrier isassociated with a first timing group and the second component carrier isassociated with a second timing group that is different from the firsttiming group.

In a twelfth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one or moreof the first through eleventh aspects, two or more component carriersassociated with the first timing group are associated with no offsetrelative to each other, and wherein two or more component carriersassociated with the second timing group are associated with no offsetrelative to each other.

In a thirteenth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one ormore of the first through twelfth aspects, the UE is associated with acapability indicating how many timing groups can be supported by the UE.

In a fourteenth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one ormore of the first through thirteenth aspects, the second componentcarrier is a reference component carrier of the second timing group, andwherein the first component carrier is the PCell.

In a fifteenth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one ormore of the first through fourteenth aspects, the offset is signaled fora timing group, of the first timing group and the second timing group,that is not associated with the PCell.

In a sixteenth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one ormore of the first through fifteenth aspects, the process 1000 includesdetermining a UE capability for a number of timing groups supported bythe UE; and transmitting information identifying the UE capability tothe base station.

In a seventeenth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one ormore of the first through sixteenth aspects, the process 1000 includesreceiving a configuration for a third component carrier; and receivingconfiguration information indicating whether the third component carrierbelongs to the first timing group or the second timing group.

In an eighteenth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one ormore of the first through seventeenth aspects, the configurationinformation indicates respective timing group identifiers of the firstcomponent carrier, the second component carrier, and the third componentcarrier.

In a nineteenth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one ormore of the first through eighteenth aspects, when the third componentcarrier belongs to a timing group that does not contain the PCell, theprocess 1000 further comprises: determining an offset between the thirdcomponent carrier and the PCell based at least in part on relativetiming between the first timing group and the second timing group.

In a twentieth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one ormore of the first through nineteenth aspects, the offset indicates atiming offset between the first timing group and the second timinggroup.

In a twenty-first additional aspect, alone or in combination with one ormore of the first through twentieth aspects, the first timing group andthe second timing group are downlink timing groups.

In a twenty-second additional aspect, alone or in combination with oneor more of the first through twenty-first aspects, cells of a same bandbelong to a same timing group.

In a twenty-third additional aspect, alone or in combination with one ormore of the first through twenty-second aspects, the slot on the firstcomponent carrier is a slot zero of the frame on the first componentcarrier.

In a twenty-fourth additional aspect, alone or in combination with oneor more of the first through twenty-third aspects, the first componentcarrier is one of a component carrier with a lower subcarrier spacing ofsubcarrier spacings configured for the PCell and the SCell, or if thePCell and the SCell have a same subcarrier spacing, the PCell.

In a twenty-fifth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one ormore of the first through twenty-fourth aspects, the process 1000further comprises determining that a subcarrier spacing of the PCell issmaller than or equal to a subcarrier spacing of the SCell; anddetermining that the first component carrier is the PCell and the secondcomponent carrier is the SCell based at least in part on determiningthat the subcarrier spacing of the PCell is smaller than or equal to thesubcarrier spacing of the SCell.

In a twenty-sixth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one ormore of the first through twenty-fifth aspects, the process 1000comprises identifying a component carrier associated with a lowerfrequency, of the PCell and the SCell, as the first component carrierbased at least in part on the PCell and the SCell being configured witha same subcarrier spacing that is equal to or greater than 60 kilohertz;and identifying the slot on the second component carrier as a slot qNmod M, where q is equal to a first value if the PCell is the firstcomponent carrier or a second value if the SCell is the first componentcarrier, N is the offset, and M is the number of slots per frame in acomponent carrier associated with a higher frequency of the PCell andthe SCell.

In a twenty-seventh additional aspect, alone or in combination with oneor more of the first through twenty-sixth aspects, determining that thesecond component carrier is the PCell and the first component carrier isthe SCell based at least in part on the subcarrier spacing of the PCellbeing greater than the subcarrier spacing of the SCell.

In a twenty-eighth additional aspect, alone or in combination with oneor more of the first through twenty-seventh aspects, the offsetidentifies the slot on the second component carrier based at least inpart on whether a subcarrier spacing of the PCell is greater than asubcarrier spacing of the SCell, and based at least in part on a numberof slots per frame in a component carrier, of the PCell and the SCell,with a larger subcarrier spacing.

In a twenty-ninth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one ormore of the first through twenty-eighth aspects, the process 1000comprises transmitting the information identifying the offset inconnection with configuring the SCell.

In a thirtieth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one ormore of the first through twenty-ninth aspects, the offset identifies aquantity of slots between the start of the frame on the first componentcarrier and the start of the frame on the second component carrier.

Although FIG. 10 shows example blocks of process 1000, in some aspects,process 1000 may include additional blocks, fewer blocks, differentblocks, or differently arranged blocks than those depicted in FIG. 10.Additionally or alternatively, two or more of the blocks of process 1000may be performed in parallel.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of an example apparatus 1100 for wirelesscommunication in accordance with various aspects of the presentdisclosure. The apparatus 1100 may be a UE, or a UE may include theapparatus 1100. In some aspects, the apparatus 1100 includes a receptioncomponent 1102, a communication manager 1104, and a transmissioncomponent 1106, which may be in communication with one another (forexample, via one or more buses). As shown, the apparatus 1100 maycommunicate with another apparatus 1108 (such as a UE, a base station,or another wireless communication device) using the reception component1102 and the transmission component 1106.

In some aspects, the apparatus 1100 may be configured to perform one ormore operations described herein in connection with FIGS. 3-8.Additionally or alternatively, the apparatus 1100 may be configured toperform one or more processes described herein, such as the process 900of FIG. 9. In some aspects, the apparatus 1100 may include one or morecomponents of the UE described above in connection with FIG. 2.

The reception component 1102 may receive communications, such asreference signals, control information, data communications, or acombination thereof, from the apparatus 1108. The reception component1102 may provide received communications to one or more other componentsof the apparatus 1100, such as the communication manager 1104. In someaspects, the reception component 1102 may perform signal processing onthe received communications (such as filtering, amplification,demodulation, analog-to-digital conversion, demultiplexing,deinterleaving, de-mapping, equalization, interference cancellation, ordecoding, among other examples), and may provide the processed signalsto the one or more other components. In some aspects, the receptioncomponent 1102 may include one or more antennas, a demodulator, a MIMOdetector, a receive processor, a controller/processor, a memory, or acombination thereof, of the UE described above in connection with FIG.2.

The transmission component 1106 may transmit communications, such asreference signals, control information, data communications, or acombination thereof, to the apparatus 1108. In some aspects, thecommunication manager 1104 may generate communications and may transmitthe generated communications to the transmission component 1106 fortransmission to the apparatus 1108. In some aspects, the transmissioncomponent 1106 may perform signal processing on the generatedcommunications (such as filtering, amplification, modulation,digital-to-analog conversion, multiplexing, interleaving, mapping, orencoding, among other examples), and may transmit the processed signalsto the apparatus 1108. In some aspects, the transmission component 1106may include one or more antennas, a modulator, a transmit MIMOprocessor, a transmit processor, a controller/processor, a memory, or acombination thereof, of the UE described above in connection with FIG.2. In some aspects, the transmission component 1106 may be co-locatedwith the reception component 1102 in a transceiver.

The communication manager 1104 may receive or may cause the receptioncomponent 1102 to receive information identifying an offset between astart of a frame on a first component carrier and a start of a frame ona second component carrier. The first component carrier may be one of aPCell or an SCell, and the second component carrier may be the other ofthe PCell or the SCell. The communication manager 1104 (e.g., the slotidentification component 1110) may determine that a slot on the firstcomponent carrier is aligned with a slot on the second componentcarrier. The communication manager 1104 (e.g., the slot identificationcomponent 1110) may identify the slot on the second component carrier inaccordance with the offset. The communication manager 1104 maycommunicate, or may cause the reception component 1102 or thetransmission component 1106 to communicate, on the first componentcarrier or the second component carrier based at least in part on thestart of the slot on the second component carrier. In some aspects, thecommunication manager 1104 may perform one or more operations describedelsewhere herein as being performed by one or more components of thecommunication manager 1104.

The communication manager 1104 may include a controller/processor, amemory, a scheduler, a communication unit, or a combination thereof, ofthe UE described above in connection with FIG. 2. In some aspects, thecommunication manager 1104 includes a set of components, such as a slotidentification component 1110. Alternatively, the set of components maybe separate and distinct from the communication manager 1104. In someaspects, one or more components of the set of components may include ormay be implemented within a controller/processor, a memory, a scheduler,a communication unit, or a combination thereof, of the UE describedabove in connection with FIG. 2. Additionally or alternatively, one ormore components of the set of components may be implemented at least inpart as software stored in a memory. For example, a component (or aportion of a component) may be implemented as instructions or codestored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by acontroller or a processor to perform the functions or operations of thecomponent.

The reception component 1102 may receive information identifying anoffset between a start of a frame on a first component carrier and astart of a frame on a second component carrier, wherein the firstcomponent carrier is one of a PCell or a secondary cell (SCell), andwherein the second component carrier is the other of the PCell or theSCell. The slot identification component 1110 may determine that a sloton the first component carrier is aligned with a slot on the secondcomponent carrier. The slot identification component 1110 may identifythe slot on the second component carrier in accordance with the offset.The reception component 1102 or the transmission component 1106 maycommunicate on the first component carrier or the second componentcarrier based at least in part on the start of the slot on the secondcomponent carrier.

The number and arrangement of components shown in FIG. 11 are providedas an example. In practice, there may be additional components, fewercomponents, different components, or differently arranged componentsthan those shown in FIG. 11. Furthermore, two or more components shownin FIG. 11 may be implemented within a single component, or a singlecomponent shown in FIG. 11 may be implemented as multiple, distributedcomponents. Additionally or alternatively, a set of (one or more)components shown in FIG. 11 may perform one or more functions describedas being performed by another set of components shown in FIG. 11.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of an example apparatus 1200 for wirelesscommunication in accordance with various aspects of the presentdisclosure. The apparatus 1200 may be a base station, or a base stationmay include the apparatus 1200. In some aspects, the apparatus 1200includes a reception component 1202, a communication manager 1204, and atransmission component 1206, which may be in communication with oneanother (for example, via one or more buses). As shown, the apparatus1200 may communicate with another apparatus 1208 (such as a UE, a basestation, or another wireless communication device) using the receptioncomponent 1202 and the transmission component 1206.

In some aspects, the apparatus 1200 may be configured to perform one ormore operations described herein in connection with FIGS. 3-8.Additionally or alternatively, the apparatus 1200 may be configured toperform one or more processes described herein, such as process 1000 ofFIG. 10. In some aspects, the apparatus 1200 may include one or morecomponents of the base station described above in connection with FIG.2.

The reception component 1202 may receive communications, such asreference signals, control information, data communications, or acombination thereof, from the apparatus 1208. The reception component1202 may provide received communications to one or more other componentsof the apparatus 1200, such as the communication manager 1204. In someaspects, the reception component 1202 may perform signal processing onthe received communications (such as filtering, amplification,demodulation, analog-to-digital conversion, demultiplexing,deinterleaving, de-mapping, equalization, interference cancellation, ordecoding, among other examples), and may provide the processed signalsto the one or more other components. In some aspects, the receptioncomponent 1202 may include one or more antennas, a demodulator, a MIMOdetector, a receive processor, a controller/processor, a memory, or acombination thereof, of the base station described above in connectionwith FIG. 2.

The transmission component 1206 may transmit communications, such asreference signals, control information, data communications, or acombination thereof, to the apparatus 1208. In some aspects, thecommunication manager 1204 may generate communications and may transmitthe generated communications to the transmission component 1206 fortransmission to the apparatus 1208. In some aspects, the transmissioncomponent 1206 may perform signal processing on the generatedcommunications (such as filtering, amplification, modulation,digital-to-analog conversion, multiplexing, interleaving, mapping, orencoding, among other examples), and may transmit the processed signalsto the apparatus 1208. In some aspects, the transmission component 1206may include one or more antennas, a modulator, a transmit MIMOprocessor, a transmit processor, a controller/processor, a memory, or acombination thereof, of the base station described above in connectionwith FIG. 2. In some aspects, the transmission component 1206 may beco-located with the reception component 1202 in a transceiver.

The communication manager 1204 may determine an offset between a startof a frame on a first component carrier and a start of a frame on asecond component carrier, wherein a slot on the first carrier is alignedwith a slot on the second carrier. The communication manager 1204 maytransmit information identifying the offset. In some aspects, thecommunication manager 1204 may perform one or more operations describedelsewhere herein as being performed by one or more components of thecommunication manager 1204.

The communication manager 1204 may include a controller/processor, amemory, a scheduler, a communication unit, or a combination thereof, ofthe base station described above in connection with FIG. 2. In someaspects, the communication manager 1204 includes a set of components,such as a slot identification component 1210, a configuration component1212, or a combination thereof. Alternatively, the set of components maybe separate and distinct from the communication manager 1204. In someaspects, one or more components of the set of components may include ormay be implemented within a controller/processor, a memory, a scheduler,a communication unit, or a combination thereof, of the base stationdescribed above in connection with FIG. 2. Additionally oralternatively, one or more components of the set of components may beimplemented at least in part as software stored in a memory. Forexample, a component (or a portion of a component) may be implemented asinstructions or code stored in a non-transitory computer-readable mediumand executable by a controller or a processor to perform the functionsor operations of the component.

The slot identification component 1210 may determine an offset between astart of a frame on a first component carrier and a start of a frame ona second component carrier, wherein a slot on the first carrier isaligned with a slot on the second carrier. The configuration component1212 may transmit information identifying the offset.

The number and arrangement of components shown in FIG. 12 are providedas an example. In practice, there may be additional components, fewercomponents, different components, or differently arranged componentsthan those shown in FIG. 12. Furthermore, two or more components shownin FIG. 12 may be implemented within a single component, or a singlecomponent shown in FIG. 12 may be implemented as multiple, distributedcomponents. Additionally or alternatively, a set of (one or more)components shown in FIG. 12 may perform one or more functions describedas being performed by another set of components shown in FIG. 12.

The foregoing disclosure provides illustration and description, but isnot intended to be exhaustive or to limit the aspects to the preciseform disclosed. Modifications and variations may be made in light of theabove disclosure or may be acquired from practice of the aspects.

As used herein, the term “component” is intended to be broadly construedas hardware, firmware, or a combination of hardware and software. Asused herein, a processor is implemented in hardware, firmware, or acombination of hardware and software.

Some aspects are described herein in connection with thresholds. As usedherein, satisfying a threshold may refer to a value being greater thanthe threshold, greater than or equal to the threshold, less than thethreshold, less than or equal to the threshold, equal to the threshold,or not equal to the threshold among other examples, or combinationsthereof.

It will be apparent that systems or methods described herein may beimplemented in different forms of hardware, firmware, or a combinationof hardware and software. The actual specialized control hardware orsoftware code used to implement these systems or methods is not limitingof the aspects. Thus, the operation and behavior of the systems ormethods were described herein without reference to specific softwarecode—it being understood that software and hardware can be designed toimplement the systems or methods based, at least in part, on thedescription herein.

Even though particular combinations of features are recited in theclaims or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are notintended to limit the disclosure of various aspects. In fact, many ofthese features may be combined in ways not specifically recited in theclaims or disclosed in the specification. Although each dependent claimlisted below may directly depend on only one claim, the disclosure ofvarious aspects includes each dependent claim in combination with everyother claim in the claim set. A phrase referring to “at least one of” alist of items refers to any combination of those items, including singlemembers. As an example, “at least one of: a, b, or c” is intended tocover a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, and a-b-c, as well as any combination withmultiples of the same element (for example, a-a, a-a-a, a-a-b, a-a-c,a-b-b, a-c-c, b-b, b-b-b, b-b-c, c-c, and c-c-c or any other ordering ofa, b, and c).

No element, act, or instruction used herein is to be construed ascritical or essential unless explicitly described as such. Also, as usedherein, the articles “a” and “an” are intended to include one or moreitems, and may be used interchangeably with “one or more.” Furthermore,as used herein, the terms “set” and “group” are intended to include oneor more items (for example, related items, unrelated items, or acombination of related and unrelated items among other examples, orcombinations thereof), and may be used interchangeably with “one ormore.” Where only one item is intended, the phrase “only one” or similarlanguage is used. Also, as used herein, the terms “has,” “have,”“having,” or the like, or combinations thereof are intended to beopen-ended terms. Further, the phrase “based on” is intended to mean“based, at least in part, on” unless explicitly stated otherwise.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of wireless communication performed by auser equipment (UE), comprising: receiving information identifying anoffset between a start of a frame on a first component carrier and astart of a frame on a second component carrier, the first componentcarrier being one of a primary cell (PCell) or a secondary cell (SCell),and the second component carrier being the other of the PCell or theSCell; identifying that a start of a slot on the first component carriercoincides with a start of a slot on the second component carrier basedat least in part on the offset; and communicating on the first componentcarrier or the second component carrier based at least in part on thestart of the slot on the second component carrier.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the slot on the first component carrier is a slot zeroof the frame on the first component carrier.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein the first component carrier is one of: a component carrier witha lower subcarrier spacing of subcarrier spacings configured for thePCell and the SCell, or if the PCell and the SCell have a samesubcarrier spacing, the PCell.
 4. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: determining that a subcarrier spacing of the PCell issmaller than or equal to a subcarrier spacing of the SCell; anddetermining that the first component carrier is the PCell and the secondcomponent carrier is the SCell based at least in part on determiningthat the subcarrier spacing of the PCell is smaller than or equal to thesubcarrier spacing of the SCell.
 5. The method of claim 1, whereinidentifying that a start of a slot on the first component carriercoincides with a start of a slot on the second component carrier basedat least in part on the offset further comprises: identifying acomponent carrier associated with a lower frequency, of the PCell andthe SCell, as the first component carrier based at least in part on thePCell and the SCell being configured with a same subcarrier spacing thatis equal to or greater than 60 kilohertz; and identifying the slot onthe second component carrier as a slot qN mod M, where q is equal to afirst value if the PCell is the first component carrier or a secondvalue if the SCell is the first component carrier, N is the offset, andM is the number of slots per frame in a component carrier associatedwith a higher frequency of the PCell and the SCell.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising determining that the second componentcarrier is the PCell and the first component carrier is the SCell basedat least in part on the subcarrier spacing of the PCell being greaterthan the subcarrier spacing of the SCell.
 7. The method of claim 1,further comprising identifying the slot on the second component carrierin accordance with the offset based at least in part on whether asubcarrier spacing of the PCell is greater than a subcarrier spacing ofthe SCell, and based at least in part on a number of slots per frame ina component carrier, of the PCell and the SCell, with a largersubcarrier spacing.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein identifying theslot on the second component carrier based at least in part on whetherthe subcarrier spacing of the PCell is greater than the subcarrierspacing of the SCell comprises identifying the slot on the secondcomponent carrier based at least in part on a first value when thesubcarrier spacing of the PCell is less than or equal to the subcarrierspacing of the SCell, and based at least in part on a second value whenthe subcarrier spacing of the PCell is greater than the subcarrierspacing of the SCell.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein identifying theslot on the second component carrier based at least in part on whetherthe subcarrier spacing of the PCell is greater than the subcarrierspacing of the SCell comprises identifying the slot on the secondcomponent carrier as a slot qN mod M where q is equal to the first valueor the second value, Nis the offset, and M is the number of slots perframe in the component carrier with the larger subcarrier spacing. 10.The method of claim 8, wherein identifying the slot on the secondcomponent carrier in accordance with the offset comprises identifyingthe slot on the second component carrier in accordance with the offsetbased at least in part on the subcarrier spacing of the PCell and thesubcarrier spacing of the SCell, wherein the subcarrier spacing of thePCell and the subcarrier spacing of the SCell are a lowest subcarrierspacing of any bandwidth part and synchronization signal blockconfigured in the PCell and the SCell, respectively.
 11. The method ofclaim 10, wherein identifying the slot on the second component carrierin accordance with the offset based at least in part on the subcarrierspacing of the PCell and the subcarrier spacing of the SCell furthercomprises identifying the slot on the second component carrier inaccordance with the offset based at least in part on the subcarrierspacing of the PCell and the subcarrier spacing of the SCell being equalto each other and lower than 60 kilohertz.
 12. The method of claim 10,wherein identifying the slot on the second component carrier inaccordance with the offset based at least in part on a subcarrierspacing of the first component carrier and a subcarrier spacing of thesecond component carrier further comprises identifying the slot on thesecond component carrier in accordance with the offset based at least inpart on the subcarrier spacing of the first component carrier and thesubcarrier spacing of the second component carrier being different thaneach other.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the informationidentifying the offset is received in connection with configuring theSCell.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the offset identifies aquantity of slots between the start of the frame on the first componentcarrier and the start of the frame on the second component carrier. 15.A method of wireless communication performed by a base station,comprising: determining an offset between a start of a frame on a firstcomponent carrier and a start of a frame on a second component carrier,wherein a slot on the first component carrier is aligned with a slot onthe second component carrier, wherein the first component carrier is oneof a primary cell (PCell) or a secondary cell (SCell), and wherein thesecond component carrier is the other of the PCell or the SCell; andtransmitting information identifying the offset.
 16. The method of claim15, wherein the slot on the first component carrier is a slot zero ofthe frame on the first component carrier.
 17. The method of claim 15,wherein the first component carrier is one of: a component carrier witha lower subcarrier spacing of subcarrier spacings configured for thePCell and the SCell, or if the PCell and the SCell have a samesubcarrier spacing, the PCell.
 18. The method of claim 15, furthercomprising: determining that a subcarrier spacing of the PCell issmaller than or equal to a subcarrier spacing of the SCell; anddetermining that the first component carrier is the PCell and the secondcomponent carrier is the SCell based at least in part on determiningthat the subcarrier spacing of the PCell is smaller than or equal to thesubcarrier spacing of the SCell.
 19. The method of claim 15, furthercomprising: identifying a component carrier associated with a lowerfrequency, of the PCell and the SCell, as the first component carrierbased at least in part on the PCell and the SCell being configured witha same subcarrier spacing that is equal to or greater than 60 kilohertz;and identifying the slot on the second component carrier as a slot qNmod M, where q is equal to a first value if the PCell is the firstcomponent carrier or a second value if the SCell is the first componentcarrier, Nis the offset, and M is the number of slots per frame in acomponent carrier associated with a higher frequency of the PCell andthe SCell.
 20. The method of claim 15, further comprising determiningthat the second component carrier is the PCell and the first componentcarrier is the SCell based at least in part on the subcarrier spacing ofthe PCell being greater than the subcarrier spacing of the SCell. 21.The method of claim 15, wherein the offset identifies the slot on thesecond component carrier based at least in part on whether a subcarrierspacing of the PCell is greater than a subcarrier spacing of the SCell,and based at least in part on a number of slots per frame in a componentcarrier, of the PCell and the SCell, with a larger subcarrier spacing.22. The method of claim 15, further comprising transmitting theinformation identifying the offset in connection with configuring theSCell.
 23. The method of claim 15, wherein the offset identifies aquantity of slots between the start of the frame on the first componentcarrier and the start of the frame on the second component carrier. 24.A user equipment (UE) for wireless communication, comprising: a memory;and one or more processors coupled to the memory, the memory and the oneor more processors configured to: receive information identifying anoffset between a start of a frame on a first component carrier and astart of a frame on a second component carrier, wherein the firstcomponent carrier is one of a primary cell (PCell) or a secondary cell(SCell), and wherein the second component carrier is the other of thePCell or the SCell; identify that a start of a slot on the firstcomponent carrier coincides with a start of a slot on the secondcomponent carrier based at least in part on the offset; and communicateon the first component carrier or the second component carrier based atleast in part on the start of the slot on the second component carrier.25. The UE of claim 24, wherein the slot on the first component carrieris a slot zero of the frame on the first component carrier.
 26. The UEof claim 24, wherein the first component carrier is one of: a componentcarrier with a lower subcarrier spacing of subcarrier spacingsconfigured for the PCell and the SCell, or if the PCell and the SCellhave a same subcarrier spacing, the PCell.
 27. The UE of claim 24,wherein the one or more processors are configured to: determine that asubcarrier spacing of the PCell is smaller than or equal to a subcarrierspacing of the SCell; and determine that the first component carrier isthe PCell and the second component carrier is the SCell based at leastin part on determining that the subcarrier spacing of the PCell issmaller than or equal to the subcarrier spacing of the SCell.
 28. The UEof claim 24, wherein the one or more processors, when identifying that astart of a slot on the first component carrier coincides with a start ofa slot on the second component carrier based at least in part on theoffset, are configured to: identify a component carrier associated witha lower frequency, of the PCell and the SCell, as the first componentcarrier based at least in part on the PCell and the SCell beingconfigured with a same subcarrier spacing that is equal to or greaterthan 60 kilohertz; and identify the slot on the second component carrieras a slot qN mod M, where q is equal to a first value if the PCell isthe first component carrier or a second value if the SCell is the firstcomponent carrier, Nis the offset, and M is the number of slots perframe in a component carrier associated with a higher frequency of thePCell and the SCell.
 29. The UE of claim 24, wherein the one or moreprocessors are configured to determine that the second component carrieris the PCell and the first component carrier is the SCell based at leastin part on the subcarrier spacing of the PCell being greater than thesubcarrier spacing of the SCell.
 30. The UE of claim 24, wherein the oneor more processors are configured to identify the slot on the secondcomponent carrier in accordance with the offset based at least in parton whether a subcarrier spacing of the PCell is greater than asubcarrier spacing of the SCell, and based at least in part on a numberof slots per frame in a component carrier, of the PCell and the SCell,with a larger subcarrier spacing.
 31. The UE of claim 30, wherein theone or more processors, when identifying the slot on the secondcomponent carrier based at least in part on whether the subcarrierspacing of the PCell is greater than the subcarrier spacing of theSCell, are configured to identify the slot on the second componentcarrier based at least in part on a first value when the subcarrierspacing of the PCell is less than or equal to the subcarrier spacing ofthe SCell, and based at least in part on a second value when thesubcarrier spacing of the PCell is greater than the subcarrier spacingof the SCell.
 32. The UE of claim 31, wherein the one or moreprocessors, when identifying the slot on the second component carrierbased at least in part on whether the subcarrier spacing of the PCell isgreater than the subcarrier spacing of the SCell, are configured toidentify the slot on the second component carrier as a slot qN mod M,where q is equal to the first value or the second value, N is theoffset, and M is the number of slots per frame in the component carrierwith the larger subcarrier spacing.
 33. The UE of claim 31, wherein theone or more processors, when identifying the slot on the secondcomponent carrier in accordance with the offset, are configured toidentify the slot on the second component carrier in accordance with theoffset based at least in part on the subcarrier spacing of the PCell andthe subcarrier spacing of the SCell, wherein the subcarrier spacing ofthe PCell and the subcarrier spacing of the SCell are a lowestsubcarrier spacing of any bandwidth part and synchronization signalblock configured in the PCell and the SCell, respectively.
 34. The UE ofclaim 33, wherein the one or more processors, when identifying the sloton the second component carrier in accordance with the offset based atleast in part on the subcarrier spacing of the PCell and the subcarrierspacing of the SCell, are configured to identify the slot on the secondcomponent carrier in accordance with the offset based at least in parton the subcarrier spacing of the PCell and the subcarrier spacing of theSCell being equal to each other and lower than 60 kilohertz.
 35. The UEof claim 33, wherein the one or more processors, when identifying theslot on the second component carrier in accordance with the offset basedat least in part on a subcarrier spacing of the first component carrierand a subcarrier spacing of the second component carrier, are configuredto identify the slot on the second component carrier in accordance withthe offset based at least in part on the subcarrier spacing of the firstcomponent carrier and the subcarrier spacing of the second componentcarrier being different than each other.
 36. The UE of claim 24, whereinthe information identifying the offset is received in connection withconfiguring the SCell.
 37. The UE of claim 24, wherein the offsetidentifies a quantity of slots between the start of the frame on thefirst component carrier and the start of the frame on the secondcomponent carrier.
 38. A base station for wireless communication,comprising: a memory; and one or more processors coupled to the memory,the memory and the one or more processors configured to: determine anoffset between a start of a frame on a first component carrier and astart of a frame on a second component carrier, wherein a slot on thefirst component carrier is aligned with a slot on the second componentcarrier, wherein the first component carrier is one of a primary cell(PCell) or a secondary cell (SCell), and wherein the second componentcarrier is the other of the PCell or the SCell; and transmit informationidentifying the offset.
 39. The base station of claim 38, wherein theslot on the first component carrier is a slot zero of the frame on thefirst component carrier.
 40. The base station of claim 38, wherein thefirst component carrier is one of: a component carrier with a lowersubcarrier spacing of subcarrier spacings configured for the PCell andthe SCell, or if the PCell and the SCell have a same subcarrier spacing,the PCell.
 41. The base station of claim 38, wherein the one or moreprocessors are configured to: determine that a subcarrier spacing of thePCell is smaller than or equal to a subcarrier spacing of the SCell; anddetermine that the first component carrier is the PCell and the secondcomponent carrier is the SCell based at least in part on determiningthat the subcarrier spacing of the PCell is smaller than or equal to thesubcarrier spacing of the SCell.
 42. The base station of claim 38,wherein the one or more processors are configured to: identify acomponent carrier associated with a lower frequency, of the PCell andthe SCell, as the first component carrier based at least in part on thePCell and the SCell being configured with a same subcarrier spacing thatis equal to or greater than 60 kilohertz; and identify the slot on thesecond component carrier as a slot qN mod M, where q is equal to a firstvalue if the PCell is the first component carrier or a second value ifthe SCell is the first component carrier, N is the offset, and M is thenumber of slots per frame in a component carrier associated with ahigher frequency of the PCell and the SCell.
 43. The base station ofclaim 38, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determinethat the second component carrier is the PCell and the first componentcarrier is the SCell based at least in part on the subcarrier spacing ofthe PCell being greater than the subcarrier spacing of the SCell. 44.The base station of claim 38, wherein the offset identifies the slot onthe second component carrier based at least in part on whether asubcarrier spacing of the PCell is greater than a subcarrier spacing ofthe SCell, and based at least in part on a number of slots per frame ina component carrier, of the PCell and the SCell, with a largersubcarrier spacing.
 45. The base station of claim 38, wherein the one ormore processors are configured to transmit the information identifyingthe offset in connection with configuring the SCell.
 46. The basestation of claim 38, wherein the offset identifies a quantity of slotsbetween the start of the frame on the first component carrier and thestart of the frame on the second component carrier.